re common elements for curricula and serious global action and leadership in education possible? As proposed by the president of Ethiopia, Sahle-work Zewde, at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit (TES), we agree that despite the many challenges posed by our fast-changing world, this moment in history also offers us exciting new opportunities that can make it possible to proceed and make a global difference in education within one generation.
Opportunities We Must Act On Now
- Better models of leadership have begun to emerge. The world is realizing that the old model of a male-centric, hero approach to leadership is not helping us address modern challenges which are increasingly interconnected. This realization is giving rise to a new breed of collaborative leadership which approaches challenges from a collective lens. These leaders embrace empathy, inclusion, equity, and dignity to ensure everyone in the world thrives. This has also given rise to a slew of local leaders who are deeply grounded in local values.
- Education innovations are proliferating around the globe. However, they continue to work in silos. Every child’s journey is unique and there is no one-size fits all industrial model of education which will work. We need to bring these proliferating education innovations to the forefront but also create the conditions of mutual learning, sharing, platforms and large-scale adoption of these innovations. This would support António Guterres’ purposes of education: learning to learn, learning to live together, learning to do, and learning to be.
- The power of and access to EdTech are expanding rapidly. Today, a child in rural India can talk with a child in New Zealand or Finland and learn from one another. Technology has largely democratized access to education, helping us move away from a traditional teacher-led learning model to facilitative and self-driven learning models. We must also recognize how social media, though in many ways problematic, has also enabled us to connect with each other around our shared passions, interests, and futures.
- Our sense of identity is evolving. While we still identify as citizens of a nation, we increasingly are identifying as global citizens as well. This shift comes from better social and physical mobility, but also in recognition of global challenges that require global solutions. Skills such as global competencies, cultural intelligence, and empathy are the new drivers of success. In an interconnected global world, we also need a new generation with mutual understanding and shared knowledge.
- There is a global movement to reconnect with our roots. Even as we adopt a more global outlook, we are also reconnecting with our local traditions in ways that bring us peace with our own identities as well as with other species and the planet. We are embracing traditional wisdom, agricultural practices, living ecosystems, and community living as we attempt to save our planet. One example of learning from indigenous knowledge comes from the Māori word “ako.” The English translation of ako is “learning,” but in Māori it equally encompasses “teaching” – learning and teaching, together as one. Globally, its meaning calls us to more purposeful, more contributive learning, in which students learn who they are and contribute to the world in ways that give their lives meaning and a sense of fulfillment. Learning to learn, to live together, to do, and to be are components of learning to contribute to the world.
What could be the role of education in changing this reality with the listed five developments? TES concluded with a promise and call for an Education Movement analogical to that around the climate. The idea is excellent and the timing is important. We must ensure that we address the structural elements of education such as curricula and teacher training requirements. Otherwise, the Education Movement has the risk of bringing together globally minded activists without impact on what Monday mornings look like for the children and young people in schools around the world.
Vision and Call to Action
In the aftermath of the TES Summit, we are reimagining our world today and our place in it. This calls upon a reimagination of our education systems, too, as they help us prepare the global citizens of the future who will together shape a better world for us. In order for us to provide a fair chance for our children and hope for a sustainable life on the planet, we believe it is time for a massive transformation in the way we approach education, similar in scale to the changes brought about by mass education 150 years ago. We urgently need a global education agenda, curricula, platforms, and leadership–all rooted in local contexts respecting the reconnection we are observing with local cultures, community living, nature and even tradition. Local agency is a key to a sustainable global shared approach in education. One convincing moment came at the closing of TES, when the Sierra Leone minister of education, David Sengeh, had exactly two points to add to the presented action: 1) the importance of global equality when education solutions are being developed and shared, and 2) the importance of moving those solutions across the line from global to local and, finally, to the classroom.
We believe the pandemic pushed us into immediate radical action in two ways. It has brought to the forefront the pre-existing deep crisis in education, as outlined by leaders at TES. But the pandemic has also created a mental and technological momentum and readiness among the education community to recognize global common goals and utilize shared technological tools to work together locally and globally. We strongly urge that we act upon the education crisis now and start building a long-term global education agenda with immediate concrete pilots across the globe. Our children must not be made to wait.
In the aftermath of the September 2022 UN Summit on Transforming Education, we should decide on pilot projects to develop and test a common global curriculum content on chosen themes for all children. This would not challenge the national school systems but complement them. The themes could be:
- climate change,
- global inequalities,
- the potential and risks of new technologies,
- individual and planetary well-being and thriving.
The leadership and platform for global education development should also be agreed upon. The structures created and agreed upon as part of TES follow-up plans may serve here. It may also well be that we will need a Global Education Organisation in the future with perhaps a phased approach starting with current structures for the time being.
Articulating a New Vision
In all work we do in education we must articulate a vision for society that includes fundamentals for education that resonate with the values of Antonio Guterres’s final conclusions at TES. Specifically…
First, we call for globally shared education content at the curriculum level, because our education systems should help build a world where the local and global can coexist fruitfully. We want a world where patriotic, nationalistic identities learn to co-exist along with global humanistic values and identities with the idea “I am a human and global citizen first. We want a world where we learn to recognize various identities and nation states as important identity structures for people but embrace the differences with empathy, love and joy rather than use differences to discriminate or demonize “them”. We believe this is what Guterres referred to as Learning to live together.
Second, we want a good comprehensive education for all because we want a world where systemic inequities and structural barriers of class, caste, gender, race, religion and ability diminish and everyone has opportunities to thrive. In such a world, equity, dignity and inclusion are core principles that drive educational thought, leadership and change and support thriving while also allowing for excellence and fulfillment of one’s potential. Based on hard evidence, such an approach seems to lead to societal well-being and prosperity. It is worth noting that recent poor results in learning outcomes, such as those outlined by the RISE project, are perhaps also a result of the poor understanding of differences among our learners. In many parts of the world, first generations of families are getting access to school. We believe this vision of good, comprehensive education for all so that all children can thrive resonates with two of Guterres’s key purposes for education: Learning to learn and Learning to do.
Lastly, we call for an educational approach in which the idea of success is defined through thriving and wellbeing of the individual, family, society and the planet. In such a world the planet regenerates and works for all. Aligned to the last key purpose shared by Guterres, this would mean Learning to be.
Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of International Baccalaureate Organisation says it beautifully:
“The importance of supporting the development of a global sense of ethics on the individual level. That is something that doesn’t exist today. We as humans have been able to create a family, small village community and even a nation state identity and an ethical code that goes with it. It has, of course with known difficulties, enabled peaceful coexistence. But in the end, all these identities are built based on the idea of being against something else. Either in real hostility and enemy images or through the competitiveness narrative of nation states.
On the global level, that identity and ethics cannot be based on being against anyone, but truly including all we have as living ecosystems on the globe. We feel this is what global education should be all about. Not against the other identities there are today, but a new layer of identity enabling us to deal with the global challenges that need the involvement of not only the elites, but all people.”
Editors’ Note: This is the third of a 3-part series exploring how a new, global vision and curriculum for education systems is key to attaining the UN’s goals for education transformation You can find Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.
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Part 3: Bringing a New Global Education Vision to Fruition
Photo by Jonathan Borba via Unsplash.
January 31, 2023
Despite the many challenges posed by our fast-changing world, this moment in history also offers us exciting new opportunities that can make it possible to proceed and make a global difference in education within one generation, write Pilvi Torsti, Vishal Talreja, and Joanne McEachen.
A
re common elements for curricula and serious global action and leadership in education possible? As proposed by the president of Ethiopia, Sahle-work Zewde, at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit (TES), we agree that despite the many challenges posed by our fast-changing world, this moment in history also offers us exciting new opportunities that can make it possible to proceed and make a global difference in education within one generation.
Opportunities We Must Act On Now
- Better models of leadership have begun to emerge. The world is realizing that the old model of a male-centric, hero approach to leadership is not helping us address modern challenges which are increasingly interconnected. This realization is giving rise to a new breed of collaborative leadership which approaches challenges from a collective lens. These leaders embrace empathy, inclusion, equity, and dignity to ensure everyone in the world thrives. This has also given rise to a slew of local leaders who are deeply grounded in local values.
- Education innovations are proliferating around the globe. However, they continue to work in silos. Every child’s journey is unique and there is no one-size fits all industrial model of education which will work. We need to bring these proliferating education innovations to the forefront but also create the conditions of mutual learning, sharing, platforms and large-scale adoption of these innovations. This would support António Guterres’ purposes of education: learning to learn, learning to live together, learning to do, and learning to be.
- The power of and access to EdTech are expanding rapidly. Today, a child in rural India can talk with a child in New Zealand or Finland and learn from one another. Technology has largely democratized access to education, helping us move away from a traditional teacher-led learning model to facilitative and self-driven learning models. We must also recognize how social media, though in many ways problematic, has also enabled us to connect with each other around our shared passions, interests, and futures.
- Our sense of identity is evolving. While we still identify as citizens of a nation, we increasingly are identifying as global citizens as well. This shift comes from better social and physical mobility, but also in recognition of global challenges that require global solutions. Skills such as global competencies, cultural intelligence, and empathy are the new drivers of success. In an interconnected global world, we also need a new generation with mutual understanding and shared knowledge.
- There is a global movement to reconnect with our roots. Even as we adopt a more global outlook, we are also reconnecting with our local traditions in ways that bring us peace with our own identities as well as with other species and the planet. We are embracing traditional wisdom, agricultural practices, living ecosystems, and community living as we attempt to save our planet. One example of learning from indigenous knowledge comes from the Māori word “ako.” The English translation of ako is “learning,” but in Māori it equally encompasses “teaching” – learning and teaching, together as one. Globally, its meaning calls us to more purposeful, more contributive learning, in which students learn who they are and contribute to the world in ways that give their lives meaning and a sense of fulfillment. Learning to learn, to live together, to do, and to be are components of learning to contribute to the world.
What could be the role of education in changing this reality with the listed five developments? TES concluded with a promise and call for an Education Movement analogical to that around the climate. The idea is excellent and the timing is important. We must ensure that we address the structural elements of education such as curricula and teacher training requirements. Otherwise, the Education Movement has the risk of bringing together globally minded activists without impact on what Monday mornings look like for the children and young people in schools around the world.
Vision and Call to Action
In the aftermath of the TES Summit, we are reimagining our world today and our place in it. This calls upon a reimagination of our education systems, too, as they help us prepare the global citizens of the future who will together shape a better world for us. In order for us to provide a fair chance for our children and hope for a sustainable life on the planet, we believe it is time for a massive transformation in the way we approach education, similar in scale to the changes brought about by mass education 150 years ago. We urgently need a global education agenda, curricula, platforms, and leadership–all rooted in local contexts respecting the reconnection we are observing with local cultures, community living, nature and even tradition. Local agency is a key to a sustainable global shared approach in education. One convincing moment came at the closing of TES, when the Sierra Leone minister of education, David Sengeh, had exactly two points to add to the presented action: 1) the importance of global equality when education solutions are being developed and shared, and 2) the importance of moving those solutions across the line from global to local and, finally, to the classroom.
We believe the pandemic pushed us into immediate radical action in two ways. It has brought to the forefront the pre-existing deep crisis in education, as outlined by leaders at TES. But the pandemic has also created a mental and technological momentum and readiness among the education community to recognize global common goals and utilize shared technological tools to work together locally and globally. We strongly urge that we act upon the education crisis now and start building a long-term global education agenda with immediate concrete pilots across the globe. Our children must not be made to wait.
In the aftermath of the September 2022 UN Summit on Transforming Education, we should decide on pilot projects to develop and test a common global curriculum content on chosen themes for all children. This would not challenge the national school systems but complement them. The themes could be:
- climate change,
- global inequalities,
- the potential and risks of new technologies,
- individual and planetary well-being and thriving.
The leadership and platform for global education development should also be agreed upon. The structures created and agreed upon as part of TES follow-up plans may serve here. It may also well be that we will need a Global Education Organisation in the future with perhaps a phased approach starting with current structures for the time being.
Articulating a New Vision
In all work we do in education we must articulate a vision for society that includes fundamentals for education that resonate with the values of Antonio Guterres’s final conclusions at TES. Specifically…
First, we call for globally shared education content at the curriculum level, because our education systems should help build a world where the local and global can coexist fruitfully. We want a world where patriotic, nationalistic identities learn to co-exist along with global humanistic values and identities with the idea “I am a human and global citizen first. We want a world where we learn to recognize various identities and nation states as important identity structures for people but embrace the differences with empathy, love and joy rather than use differences to discriminate or demonize “them”. We believe this is what Guterres referred to as Learning to live together.
Second, we want a good comprehensive education for all because we want a world where systemic inequities and structural barriers of class, caste, gender, race, religion and ability diminish and everyone has opportunities to thrive. In such a world, equity, dignity and inclusion are core principles that drive educational thought, leadership and change and support thriving while also allowing for excellence and fulfillment of one’s potential. Based on hard evidence, such an approach seems to lead to societal well-being and prosperity. It is worth noting that recent poor results in learning outcomes, such as those outlined by the RISE project, are perhaps also a result of the poor understanding of differences among our learners. In many parts of the world, first generations of families are getting access to school. We believe this vision of good, comprehensive education for all so that all children can thrive resonates with two of Guterres’s key purposes for education: Learning to learn and Learning to do.
Lastly, we call for an educational approach in which the idea of success is defined through thriving and wellbeing of the individual, family, society and the planet. In such a world the planet regenerates and works for all. Aligned to the last key purpose shared by Guterres, this would mean Learning to be.
Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of International Baccalaureate Organisation says it beautifully:
“The importance of supporting the development of a global sense of ethics on the individual level. That is something that doesn’t exist today. We as humans have been able to create a family, small village community and even a nation state identity and an ethical code that goes with it. It has, of course with known difficulties, enabled peaceful coexistence. But in the end, all these identities are built based on the idea of being against something else. Either in real hostility and enemy images or through the competitiveness narrative of nation states.
On the global level, that identity and ethics cannot be based on being against anyone, but truly including all we have as living ecosystems on the globe. We feel this is what global education should be all about. Not against the other identities there are today, but a new layer of identity enabling us to deal with the global challenges that need the involvement of not only the elites, but all people.”
Editors’ Note: This is the third of a 3-part series exploring how a new, global vision and curriculum for education systems is key to attaining the UN’s goals for education transformation You can find Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.
